Masters of the Universe ~ Review

In 1976, a movie production company approached toy maker Mattel about a license for a then-upcoming science fiction film. Mattel executives turned it down for two reasons: 1) the time frame of producing the toys for the 1977 Christmas season would be nearly impossible, and 2) licensed toys never sold. The production company was Lucasfilm and the movie in question was Star Wars. Kenner Toys took the license and the Star Wars toyline changed the boys toy market overnight, becoming a financial windfall for the company*.

Kicking themselves for missing the opportunity, Mattel spent the back half of the 70s trying to chase Star Wars’ success by acquiring the licenses to Battlestar Galactica and Flash Gordon. But nothing seemed to stick. As a new decade dawned, Mattel decided to create a new toy in-house. The result was Masters of the Universe, a grab bag of everything kids of the 80s thought was cool: barbarians, laser guns, crazy creatures, and cool vehicles. A world where a barbarian hero named He-Man would battle the evil demon Skeletor over the secrets of an ancient and mysterious castle called Castle Grayskull.

Mattel’s initial expectations for the new toy line in 1982 were $13 million dollars, but in its first year, Masters made $38 million. When then FCC chairman Mark S. Fowler eased restrictions on children’s programming based on toys, an animated series called He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was created. The series ran in syndication, and by the end of 1986, Mattel had made over $400 million on the property. By the end of the 80s, He-Man and friends had fallen out of fashion. Ever since, Mattel has tried to revive the property in various forms with various degrees of success. Now, the long-gestating blockbuster movie adaptation has hit screens! The result is a mixed bag of modern blockbuster tropes that ultimately sticks the emotional landing, but not without a few speed bumps.

Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine) is living a dull life as a Human Resources representative. But he yearns for something more; you see, he’s really from a planet called Eternia where magic and technology live side by side. He was sent to Earth as a ten-year-old by his parents (Charlotte Riley and James Purefoy) because the kingdom was conquered by the skeleton demon Skeletor (Jared Leto). Tasked with guarding a magic sword, which he promptly lost, Adam is now adrift in modern Earth-life and desperate to go home. One day, Adam finds his sword, and at the same time one of the monsters he’s been talking about for years shows up, along with Teela (Camilla Mendes), his Eternian friend. Now, Adam must travel to Eternia, get Teela’s father, Duncan aka Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba) sober, unlock the secret of his magic sword, and become He-Man and save Eternia.

Masters of the Universe is a lot of movie. Not only is it an adaptation of the He-Man toyline, but also an homage to the fantasy films of the 1980s like Krull, Legend, and Flash Gordon. And because of that, the story has a ramshackle, making-it-up-as-they-go quality. Which is either endearing or exhausting depending on your mood.

The film leans into the campiness and wild character designs of the original toys; however, it also feels sort of embarrassed to be a He-Man movie. So, characters will deliver an earnest monologue about the nature of power, but then someone will make a joke about the name He-Man. The film has a problem juggling its tone, which is tough because there is an inherent silliness to Masters of the Universe that is hard to overcome in live action, and the instinct to lean into it is the right move. The film just cannot seem to figure out how to balance that tone. However, the story of a man learning that empathy and compassion are more powerful than raw strength ultimately worked on me. Travis Knight’s direction is stylish and fun. His action sequences recall pulp fantasy novel covers, Heavy Metal, and Earl Norem’s art for Masters of the Universe from the 1980s. He stages comedy and drama with equal aplomb, and there’s a sequence late in the film set in an office building that was funny and scary all in one go.

Jared Leto is fun as Skeletor, even if he mostly comes across as Jack Sparrow performing Richard the Third, but the production team nails his look, and that’s half the battle with this character. Camilla Mendes plays the straight woman to all the crazy shenanigans, but brings heart and warmth to the role of Teela. Idris Elba could play world-weary, gruff father figure with his eyes closed, but his work here is very strong.

Galitzine, however, is the true standout here as He-Man. He-Man is a tough character to portray; he’s an ultimate do-gooder and even more square than Superman. Galitzine plays him as a gawky weirdo trying to figure out how he fits into this world. And the movie largely succeeds because of his work here.

Masters of the Universe is a movie that you’ll appreciate the more you bring to it. If the He-Man toys and cartoons fired your imagination as a kid, it will be a thrilling time at the movies. However, if the He-Man toys were something you stepped on in the middle of the night, I’d avoid.

Two and a half out of Three Stars.

*Incidentally, Kenner couldn’t make the Christmas 1977 production time frame either, and sold empty boxes that kids could eventually put their toys in.